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父母雖能生育我身。若無世間師長。則不知禮義。
因為「父母雖能生育我身」：父母雖然他能生育我這個身體，可是「若無世間師長」來教化他，來令他有一點學問，有一點學識，「則不知禮義」，他就不知道這個「禮」。禮就是禮節、禮貌。你對人不客氣，這就是不禮貌。義就是義氣，好像關公那大義參天。他總要保著他皇兄劉備。誰若想利用他，他也不被利用；曹操怎麼樣用什麼手段來想拉攏他，他也不去的，所以關公就大義參天－－這個大義好像天似的。禮貌，好像我們見著人要是給人低低頭，恭恭敬敬鞠個躬，這個人絕對不會罵你的。為什麼人罵自己？就因為自己對人也是很粗氣的，不好的，所以人家罵。這是我深深地瞭解這個道理。
你看我是個出家人，也常常有人罵我，就因為覺得我對他不好了。那麼這沒關係，凡是罵我的人，我發願將來都度他們成佛，所以他罵我的人是最便宜的，不會吃虧的。我不會說：「啊！你罵了我了，我叫你下地獄！下無間地獄！」不會有這個心。你罵我嗎？將來我要度你成佛；你不成佛，我也不成佛。所以罵我的人，也是我的善知識。你看那個提婆達多，他就是反面來幫助釋迦牟尼佛的。罵我的人，甚至於對我不客氣的人，這都是我的善知識，我都要發願將來度他們。所以你們誰要是反對我或者罵罵我，那是好辦法，和我能結一個最大的法緣。因為這個，你們誰若願意和我給法緣，就先罵罵我。我這是大開方便門，不怕人罵。我也不怕人打的。你們願意，你們要我的眼睛，我給眼睛；要我的耳朵，給耳朵；要我頭，我都給頭的。身心性命、頭目腦髓都包括在內。你們只要想要，我都布施。不是這麼說說，真做得到的。
我是一個最愚笨的人，我又說這句話了。為什麼呢？人家不願意做的事情，我都可以做。我告訴你們，我是再邋遢的東西，我可以吃的。若不信，你們就當面試一試。不論屎啊、尿啊，我都可以吃，我都可以喝的。我就是這麼一個不識數的人。你們現在懂得你們這個師父，真是鴉鴉烏了！真是沒有用了！
我在香港，有一個人向我要求，說她要生個孫。我說：「妳想要生孫嗎？那好！」我就在那兒洗腳，洗完了腳，我就把這個水給她。我說：「你喝了，把這個水喝了它了。」
「啊！」她一看，做不到。
「你做不到嗎？好！我來。」我自己拿起來，把這個洗腳的水喝了它。
哦！她週身都漂汗了，說：「這怎麼可以？」
我說：「這怎麼不可以？」所以你們不要以為我和你們一樣的。我所做到的事情，你們是做不到的，我告訴你們。
我再告訴你們一個事情，我吃東西，好吃、不好吃，我都覺得它是一個味道，所以這屎尿我都可以吃，就因為我覺得它都是一個味道。你說：「哎呀！這個法師你太臊太臭了，我們不願意接近你了。」阿彌陀佛！誰願意離我遠遠的，沒有關係；誰願意譭謗我，也 Doesn't Matter，不要緊的。我也沒有什麼好的。我就是沒有本事的這一套嘛，你們懂了吧？
所以禮義，我們世間人都要懂禮，不能一點禮也不懂，也不知道一個義。合乎義的事情，我們就做；不合乎義的事情，我們就不做。這個「義」是「治事之宜」，做什麼事情，你做得正對了，恰到好處，這就是個義。這個「義」又是說人的「義氣」。古來那俠客行俠作義，這就是義氣。大家結拜兄弟，有福同享，有禍同當，為朋友兩脅插刀也不怕痛，這都是一股義氣。這個義氣就是要吃虧的，義氣來了要吃虧，要幫助人，利益其他人的。
那麼世間的教師是教你這一切的禮節、禮貌。做事不要沒有禮貌；你不要亂罵人，不要對人都不好，這要有禮。我們人和禽獸不同的，就因為知道禮。如果你連個禮貌也沒有了，那和那禽獸是沒有分別的。那個禽獸，你看，牠若互相見著，牠還都有一種好感呢！我們人怎麼可以不懂禮呢？「孝悌忠信、禮義廉恥」，這個禮也是八德之一。所以你必須要懂禮貌，對人有義氣。你如果沒有世間這個老師，你就不懂做人的道理。
待續
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Essay:
My parents bore me and raised me, but if it were not for my secular teachers and elders, I would know nothing of propriety or righteousness.
Commentary:
We do that because my parents bore me and raised me. My parents gave me this body, but if it were not for our secular teachers and elders who teach us by imparting knowledge to us, we would know,
nothing of propriety or righteousness. Propriety means courtesy; if you are not polite and courteous to people then you lack propriety. Righteousness means integrity, patriotism, and a public spirit, like that of General Guan Di Gong of the Three Kingdoms Period in the Chinese history. "His magnificent righteousness was as vast as the sky." He knew he must always protect his Emperor Liu Bei. The Emperor's rival, General Cao Cao, tried to trick him into deserting the Emperor, but Guan Di Gong never wavered in his loyalty. That's why Guan Di Gong's righteousness was as magnificent and vast as the sky.
If you greet people politely by bowing respectfully from the waist and showing them deference, they will certainly not scold you in return. Why do people scold us? It is because we are rude to them. I deeply believe that is why people scold us.
You see, I am a left-home person, yet people constantly scold me because I have not been good to them. It doesn't matter, because I made a vow that I would take all living beings to Buddhahood. Those who have scolded me will be at an advantage and won't lose anything. I wouldn't say, "Oh! I want you to fall into the hells, into the uninterrupted hells!" I wouldn't think that. If you scold me, I will help you realize Buddhahood. If you do not realize Buddhahood, I too will not realize Buddhahood. Therefore those who scold me are my good advisors. You see, Devadatta actually helped Shakyamuni Buddha indirectly. Those people who scold me and are rude to me are actually my good advisors. I vow to save them in the future. Therefore, any one of you who wishes to go against me or scold me should know that is a good way to create a Dharma affinity with me. All of you who wish to have a Dharma affinity with me can scold me first. I have opened this great expedient door as I am not afraid of people scolding me. If any of you wishes to have my eyes, I will give you my eyes; if you want my ears, I will give you my ears. If you want my head, I will give you my head. I give you my body, mind, and even my life including head, eyes, brain and marrow. If any of you would like them, I will offer them to you. This is not just talk; I will really do it.
I am a really stupid person; why do I say this again? I can do things which other people are not willing to do. I am able to eat the dirtiest things. If you don't believe it, you can test me. I can even eat excrement and drink urine. That's how ignorant I am. Now you know that your Shifu is really inept and useless.
When I was in Hong Kong, a woman came to me and begged me to help her conceive a grandson. I said, "You want a grandson? Okay!" I washed my feet there and then gave her the basin of water, saying, "Drink this water."
"Ugh!" She took a look and could not bring herself to do it.
"If you can't do it, I will." I took the whole basin of water and drank it.
She broke out in sweat and said, "How could you do it?"
I said, "Why shouldn't I be able to do it?" I will tell you now that I am not the same as all of you. I can do things which none of you are able to do.
I will tell you one more thing: Whether the things I eat taste good or not, to me they are a single flavor. Therefore I can eat and drink excrement and urine, because to me they are the same flavor. You say, "This Dharma Master is too filthy and stinky; we are not willing to go near him, Amitabha!" If any of you wish to stay away from me or slander me, it doesn't matter. I have no good points or abilities. Do you all understand?
We worldly people need to understand propriety and righteousness. People should not fail to understand propriety and righteousness. We should do righteous deeds and avoid doing deeds which are not in accord with righteousness. Righteousness is an attribute of a determined person. To do things properly, exactly and correctly is righteousness. Righteousness refers to a person's will and ambition. The knight-errants in ancient times would always fight for justice; they had a righteous spirit. As sworn brothers, they would undergo troubles together and share blessings together. We can be righteous by helping others, endure suffering, and being willing to take a personal loss. In the spirit of justice, we are willing to take a loss by helping and benefiting others.
Secular teachers instruct us in all aspects of propriety. They teach us to be polite, to avoid scolding others, and to be good and help others. It is this sense of propriety that differentiates us from animals. Without propriety, we would be no different from animals. Even animals can treat one and another kindly. How, then, can we humans be rude? Propriety is one of the Eight Virtues:
1. Filial piety
2. Fraternal respect
3. Loyalty
4. Trustworthiness
5. Righteousness
6. Propriety
7. Incorruptibility
8. A sense of shame.
We must be polite and righteous with others. Were it not for our secular teachers, we would not understand how to behave as people.
To be continued
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